Child Of Iron
by Deathstroke Terminator
Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, & Child!Harry]
1. To Board a Train

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

This idea just came to me. I've been trying to think of a way to incorporate the overdone idea of 'Tony adopts/is the father of *so and so*' although in this case I desired the so and so to be a young female Harry Potter. ^,^ I'm pretty happy with the idea I came up with. In this story not only does Harry's parents remain faithful to one another Lily and James are actually still Harry's parents _and_ Harry still gets to be the heroic (in this case) _Girl_-Who-Lived.

So basically this story is canon (excluding the fact that Harry is a girl) up until the conversation Harry has with Dumbledore in Limbo.

I'm not sure how often I'll be updating this story since I have another one I'm writing at the moment and since it's so popular (and I love it so much) it will take priority over this one.

I hope you guys like this as much as I do :)

* * *

Chapter 1

To Board a Train

* * *

Harry silently sat down next to Dumbledore, an air of content surrounding them both. It was so peaceful here in this clean white version of Kings Cross Station. There were no screeching whistles or the chugging of trains nor were there any tearful goodbyes coming from melancholy parents who were seeing their children off to Hogwarts. All there was to be found here in this tranquil parody of the train station Harry knew so well was the occasional bench, herself, and Dumbledore.

All too soon Harry broke the comfortable silence between them with a sigh. "I have to go back haven't I?" For some reason the idea wasn't as appealing to Harry as it should have been. She should have wanted to go back to her friends and the people who cared about her . . . but Harry was tired. She'd fought so hard and for so long in a war that she had no choice but to take part in. All she really wanted was to rest and find happiness with the loved ones she'd lost along the way.

Dumbledore tilted his head to the side and looked at her in that strange nonchalant way he'd seemed to adopt since his death. "Oh, that's up to you", he told her in a tone of voice he'd been using since she arrived at Kings Cross Station that managed to reflect that nonchalant attitude of his to a T. In a way it made him seem completely neutral on the subject, as if he didn't care whether she decided to live or die. For all Harry knew he _didn't_ care. However Harry was more inclined to believe that Dumbledore wanted her to make her own decision without any influence on his part guiding her in one direction or the other.

For a moment a smile tugged at Harry's lips as she gazed at the man that she'd admired for so long. The History books would probably try to make Dumbledore out as a manipulative man who saw Harry as nothing more than a pawn in the war against the Light and the Dark as some people already have.

Harry saw him differently though- she saw a man who was stuck between a rock and a hard place. From what she could tell now that she knew the full story Dumbledore didn't choose her because of some silly prophecy, he chose her because she truly was the only one who could defeat Lord Voldemort. The moaning piece of Tom's shattered soul that Harry found dying under a bench just a few minutes ago was proof enough of that. So despite all the secrets kept from her over the years and all of the times the Wizard manipulated her, Harry forgave Dumbledore.

"I have a choice?" Harry asked him, not quite sure if she heard right.

"Oh yes."

Harry bit her lip as she chewed over his words.

It was a rather daunting concept.

To think that she could at this very moment be reunited with either her parents who she'd never gotten the opportunity to know or the friends she left behind to fight the war- it was breathtaking.

It should have been an easy decision. She should have chosen life and her friends in a heartbeat but she didn't. Instead she wondered . . .

"We're in Kings Cross you say", Dumbledore mused aloud suddenly looking off to the side almost absently. "I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train."

At the suggestion Harry's breath caught in her throat and for a moment she was unable to respond. "And where would it take me?"

Dumbledore smiled down at her. It was a soft gentle smile he usually reserved for first years that were new to Hogwarts and still finding their way in life. It was meant to sooth but it also revealed an apparent fondness and something that seemed suspiciously like nostalgia which filled anyone who received it with a warm kind of happiness and an unshakable sense of security.

"To a new world", Dumbledore began only to pause a moment later, seeming almost hesitant for a beat of time. "It would take you to a world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . _and a new family_."

The meaning behind Dumbledore's words were bold and impactful, so much so in fact that they seemed to almost surround Harry and take turns arguing with her heart and mind in a desperate attempt to get her to consent to Dumbledore's generous proposal.

[_If you agree you could have a family that will give you the love and attention you were neglected of as a child._]

'_While_ _my Aunt and Uncle might not have loved me my Mum and Dad always have and always will!_' her heart argued.

[_I'm not saying that your Mum and Dad don't love you, I'm saying that you have a shot at having an actual childhood here. Do you really want to give that opportunity up?_]

'_Yes, No . . . I mean- _I don't know!' her mind cried.

Dumbledore decided now would be a good time to break through her frantic musings. "Unfortunately we don't have all day for you to make your decision Harry. I suggest you hurry things along. After all you don't want to miss the train before you've even made your decision now do you?"

Now aware of how little time she had to make a decision Harry licked her lips and stared at the ground in deep thought.

She had three options here.

She could choose Death and follow Dumbledore to where her parents were waiting for her with Sirius and everyone else who died in the war.

She could also choose to wake up and finish the war so she could enjoy the rest of her life with Hermione, Ron, and the rest of her friends.

. . . Or she could choose the unknown and start a new journey as a different person without the burdens of fame haunting her every step.

"Dumbledore."

"Yes my dear?"

"I think I have a train to catch."

The Wizard smiled down at her then with that familiar twinkle shinning in his cheerful eyes. "Ahh, I thought you might say that."

* * *

Yay! That went waaay better than I thought it would ^,^ Kind of a short first chapter I suppose but it will do. Hopefully I don't have too many typos in this. I mean I'm pretty tired at the moment so . . . yah. I probably messed something up somewhere :P

*Update* Yup. I find like seven bagillion mistakes in like five seconds after I published this.


	2. Left on the Doorstep Again

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

I'm thinking this story will mostly be in Tony's POV but that might change. I don't quite know yet. By the way you guys are amazing! I mean holy shit you guys. I've gotten a crazy amount of feedback already!

Note- Like it says in the story description Harry is one years old when Tony finds her on his doorstep.

* * *

Chapter 2

Left on the Doorstep Again

* * *

Harry didn't remember much after she 'boarded the train' as Dumbledore put it.

What little she did remember was blurry and unclear.

After leaving Limbo everything had faded to black and stayed that way for an unknown amount of time.

Harry wasn't aware of what was happening then. All she knew at the time was the feeling of safety. She also didn't remember what happened after she awoke from her trance like state. During this time she was able to move again although Harry still remained unaware of her surroundings. Everything seemed blurry and she couldn't properly hear what was going on around her.

If Harry had the ability to understand what was going on she would have remarked that the entire ordeal was a lot like having her limbs weighed down by heavy weights while her eyes and ears were submerged underwater. Of course Harry neither had the capacity to think such things at the time nor did she retain any memories from this period of her life so she couldn't make the observation after the fact either.

At some point her eyes cleared up and it didn't seem like she had cotton in her ears anymore. It was then that she seemed to realize, if only faintly, that she wasn't alone- that she hadn't been this entire time. There was a woman taking care of her, a woman with dark black hair and blue eyes who sung softly when Harry cried.

"Don't cry Wren", the woman would coo softly, affectionately. "Mommy's got you."

Harry, or rather _Wren_, liked this woman even if she didn't quite understand why at the time.

One day however the woman's voice faded away and was replaced by a new one. As time passed the woman's voice was forgotten and as Wren grew the new voice seemed to be the only one there ever was.

It would take two years for Wren to have a faint idea of what was going on and two more until she remembered anything about the life she led before.

The moment Wren remembered everything about her past life she felt exasperation more than anything else.

'_It's just my luck that I'd be reincarnated as the daughter of the Muggle Comic Book hero Tony Stark_' she thought dryly when she realized her new life wouldn't be so normal after all. She might not have known much about the Muggle comic books Dudley liked to read but she knew enough to fully grasp just how much chaos was coming her way.

* * *

Tony Stark- a young, handsome, and rich bachelor.

You would think such a man would be carefree and living life to its fullest.

Many thought Tony was.

However not only was Tony extremely busy running Stark Industries he was also still mourning the resent death of his father Howard Stark whose passing officially left him parentless.

He had no time to spare between creating revolutionary new weapons and managing Stark Industries, even with Obi's help.

Therefore the last thing he needed was anyone getting in his way and taking up his valuable time.

Yet here he was standing on his doorstep with a dumbstruck expression on his face as he stared down at a baby who was left crying in the pouring rain.

Not knowing what else to do Tony picked up the basket the baby was curled up in and carried it inside.

Despite being in a state of shock Tony had enough common sense to change the baby out of the wet blanket and wrap (Him? Her?) in one of his old t-shirts to keep it warm.

The baby had dark raven hair, an odd lightning bolt shaped scar on its forehead, and what looked suspiciously like his chocolate brown eyes.

'_No_' he denied. '_This can't be my child. I'm only twenty two. I'm too young to have a child. I'm too _busy_ to have a child_.'

But those eyes . . .

'_Purely coincidence_' he told himself.

For a moment he almost believed that.

Then he found the envelope at the bottom of the basket.

It held the child's birth certificate, a list stating what kind of foods the kid liked and disliked, and a note from the kid's mother.

_Dear Tony,_

_I'm sorry I never told you this before but that night we slept together you got me pregnant. I would have told you sooner but with the responsibilities you had to take on recently I didn't think it was a good idea. _

_On November 17__th__ 1992 I gave birth to our child, Wren Angel Stark. No one knows that you're Wren's father other than the two of us so if you decide not to keep her you can give her away without anyone knowing she's yours. I truly hope you don't though. It would be a shame for her to grow up without at least one of us in her life. _

_I'm sure that at this point you're probably wondering why I left Wren on your doorstep. When my parents found out I'd had a child out of wedlock they refused to let me keep her. They told me that if I didn't tell them who the father was then they would make me give her up. Of course I'm old enough that they couldn't legally put Wren up for adoption without my consent but I was afraid my father might try to do so anyway. I decided to leave Wren with you so she could be raised by a member of her family without the fear of either of my parents stealing her away. _

_I hope you can forgive me for this. I know we were never close, all we had was an emotionless fling but I still hope you'll let me see her again someday._

_-Yours truly, Tracy Johnson_

Tony reread the note twice. Yes, he remembered Tracy now. She was a nice girl. Not the type that usually wanted to sleep with him in fact. That was the reason he chose to take her home over all the other women in the club that night.

She was- still is- young. She must have been eighteen at the time while he had just turned twenty one. What a good girl like her had been doing in a place like that was beyond him. She must have been pressured into going by her friends or something.

Just then the baby started crying again.

"Oh man", he sighed running a hand through his hair as he watched the baby squirm and cry in his shirt helplessly.

. . . How did you take care of a baby again?

Oh god, he was not cut out for this.

* * *

Don't worry you guys Harry won't know much of anything about the Marvel comic books since Dudley never let her read them. She's only vaguely familiar with Tony Stark and a few other characters but she knows enough to realize her life isn't going to be normal like she thought it would be.

Also Tracy isn't going to be a big part of this story. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do with her but I'm thinking I'll either have her die or just stay away from Tony and Wren for the most part. Remember this fic has Mommy!Pepper in it ;) What do you guys think should happen though? I tried to make the whole 'mother gives Tony the child to raise' thing different than the fics I've read before. Pretty much all of them either have the mother die and leave Tony responsible for the kid or the child is older and the mom decides the child should get to get to know Tony.

Oh and I probably won't update this story every day, if even once a week just so you know. I was just feeling inspired and felt the need to update this story today is all. I might update it again tomorrow though since I really want to keep writing at the moment.

If anyone's confused about what happened in this chapter Wren is one at the moment but it was established that Wren will start to remember her past when she turns two and will remember everything by the time she's four. Also will refer to Harry as Wren from now on so its not confusing.

Ug. I'm not messing this up already am I?


	3. Sing Me a Song

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

I like this chapter ^,^ Like a lot. I'm super happy I decided to write this story.

To clarify this story takes place in the Marvel movieverse although because Harry was born around 1980 and died during the Final Battle none of the Marvel movies we all know and love had come out yet so Harry's only reference to the Marvel verse is through the Muggle comics she saw Dudley reading when they were younger.

Also, I know, I named Harry Wren. -.- I always promised myself that I wouldn't give cannon characters different names but I was thinking what are the odds of Harry keeping the same name? Plus I didn't want Harry to have a boring name or anything. Besides, I actually kind of like Wren and once Harry gets older she can always request to be called Harry or Harriet or something. I'm sure I'll think of something . . . Also I'm thinking of eventually making Harry an Animagus. What do you guys think it should be? Cat, a Wren bird (that would certainly be ironic :P), a snake, a dog, a phoenix, ect, ect?

* * *

Chapter 3

Sing Me a Song~

* * *

Tony stared.

And stared.

And stared.

What the hell was he supposed to do now? He couldn't exactly give the baby away. Well technically he could but that's not the point. He wasn't about to give up his own child, even if he desperately wanted to. He just couldn't do that. Tony knew how awful it was to grow up without having parents because of how little attention he got from his own. The idea of finding a nice family to take care of Wren was certainly tempting but even then he couldn't guarantee that they would treat her with the love and respect that she deserved and that was a risk he just wasn't willing to take.

Tony refused to fuck up this kid's life just to sate his own selfish desires because despite what he led people to believe he actually was a good person at heart.

Of course Tony still didn't want the responsibility of taking care of a kid (or the guilt of messing Wren up for life somehow which he would probably end up doing) so he also tried calling Tracy but she was stubbornly ignoring all his calls.

Really he only had one option as loathe as he was to admit it . . .

Tony had to raise the baby himself.

Scratch that actually.

There was no way in hell he was raising this baby by himself.

He needed someone to help him raise Wren because, really, how is he supposed to take care of a baby when he could barely take care of himself?

* * *

"Mr. Stark?"

"I told you not to call me that Happy."

"Oh, right", Happy laughed nervously. "I forgot. So what is it that you needed help with Mr. S- er Tony?"

Happy Hogan, good reliable Happy, currently stood behind Tony who had his back facing the boxer turned body guard. From his vantage point Happy could tell that his boss was holding something in his arms but that was about it.

Curiously Happy inquired, "What do you have there sir?"

Wordlessly Tony turned around and in one quick move dumped Wren in Happy's arms.

It took a moment for Happy to register what was happening and to deduce what this all meant but seeing as what he thought absolutely _couldn't_ be true he just stared at the baby with a stunned look on his face. "Uh, what's this?"

"That, my dear man, is a baby", Tony told him with a quick and obviously fake smile before he turned on his heal and promptly walked away.

Happy, who was truly perplexed by the situation, was quick to trail after his boss while clutching the baby close to his chest. Happy scoffed loudly with a panicked look in his eyes as he matched Tony stride for stride. "Yes, I realized that", he snorted, seemingly perturbed. "I meant why do you have a baby- and why in the world are you giving him to me?"

Without stopping Tony said, "First of all Wren is a girl and second, well, that's not really any of your business is it Happy? I hired you to protect me, not ask me questions I don't want to answer."

"You're right, I was hired to be your body guard not your interrogator, but I'm pretty sure being a babysitting isn't a part of my job description!" Happy paused to observe the baby's features with a great deal of interest. "Where did you get a baby from anyway?"

Realizing that he would need to give Happy an explanation sooner or later Tony stopped in front of his mini bar to pour himself a glass of scotch.

He downed in one shot.

The genius didn't say anything for a while as he struggled to collect his thoughts. In this time he merely stared at Happy while he refilled his glass and drained this one too. In that moment something in Tony's eyes looked so vulnerable that Happy couldn't help but real back in shock.

As Happy stared at that open look in his friend's eyes something seemed to click in his mind. "Oh my God, this is your kid isn't it?"

In response to Happy's inquiry Tony threw his arms to the side and gave Happy a mocking bow, expertly keeping his drink from spilling with the movement. "Indeed she is. Well done Happy."

Happy's face scrunched up in confusion at the admission. Had Wren not been in his arms the body guard would have scratched his head in his utter bewilderment. "Right . . ." he drew out uncertainly subtly eyeing the front door as he contemplated making a run for it. "And what do you want me to do with her exactly again?"

Tony shot Happy a mild glare, clearly indicating that he'd seen the body guard eyeing the door and knew what he had considered doing. "I want you to take care of Wren for me until I can hire someone more suitable to help me raise her", Tony told him as if this was blatantly obvious and that Happy should have already known this.

Happy blanched at the idea and shifted the baby in his arms with an unfathomable look in his eyes. "A-are you kidding me? Why the hell would you think I know anything about taking care of babies?"

"I don't know dammit!" Tony suddenly yelled slamming his glass onto the counter top hard enough to rattle the bottles of liquor on the nearby shelf.

Startled by the loud noise, Wren began to cry. A look of pure horror crossed Happy's face as he held the crying infant in his arms as if she were a ticking bomb. "Oh God, no! What do I do now?" he yelped pitifully.

Tony, for his part, seemed equally distressed if the way he was trying to rip his hair out was any indication. "I don't know!? That's what I called you for!"

"M-maybe we could try singing to her?" Happy suggested earnestly over the wails of the baby.

Tony sent him a look that suggested Happy took too many hits to the head in the ring. "Singing? That's the best you can come up with?"

Just then Wren arched her back in Happy's arms and proceeded to cry even louder, her little face turning as red as a tomato.

"Singing it is", Tony quickly splutter in agreement.

". . ."

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Happy asked defensively as he bounced Wren in his arms in an attempt to calm her down while trying not to drop her at the same time.

"Don't you have a song for us to sing?" Tony asked him incredulously.

"Do I look like the type of guy who knows a bunch of songs by heart?"

"It was your idea!"

"I know- I just figured you would know a good song to sing to her!"

"What made you think that?!"

"I don't know but you'd better think of something fast because I've got nothing!"

"Ok, ok", Tony agreed wracking his brain for a song the two of them might know. "How about the Oscar Myer Weiner song?" Tony suggested.

"I don't know that one . . .", Happy admitted sheepishly.

"What? How can you not know that one? It's a classic! I specifically chose that song because practically everyone knows it!"

In response Happy shook his head with a distant look in his eyes that suggested he was thinking of a plan. "I have a better idea", he announced suddenly.

With that said Happy deposited the still crying Wren in Tony's arms. "Stay here, I'll be right back."

"What?" Tony asked in rising panic as he struggled to get a firm grip on Wren due to her incessant wriggling. "Where are you going?" When Happy didn't respond Tony cried, "Where are you going Goddamn it?!"

"To get an old friend of mine! _She'll _know what to do", he proclaimed confidently.

And then suddenly Happy was gone and Tony was left alone with the baby.

"Oh no."

* * *

Sorry I didn't update this story sooner, I was busy with getting ready for/taking my finals. But luckily tomorrows my last day of school so soon I'll have much more time to dedicate to my writing (hopefully I'll use it productively . . .) Heh, yaaaaaaah. :P

I'm actually very pleased with this chapter ^,^ I found that it amused me when I went back to edit it :P Somehow I always manage to amaze myself with my writing. I never plan it out so by the end of each chapter I always find myself surprised (and usually very pleased) with what I wrote. It's a fun way to spend my time, that's for sure.


	4. Nanny Potts

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

Sorry this took so long to update. I had major writers block for this and The Invisible Trickster for around a month or so but I'm in a writing mood at the moment so expect some updates ;) This story is especially easy to write for so lucky to those who like it ;)

Because Tony is young in this story he has yet to meet Pepper or Rhodey. Additionally he has not yet created Jarvis. Don't worry he'll meet (and in Jarvis case, create) all of these people.

I can's say how long this story will be or how long Wren will be a baby for because I have no plan for this story except very very vague ideas. That's just how I write. It always works out for the better though plus that way I end up surprising myself.

* * *

Chapter 4

Nanny Potts

* * *

Wren was crying.

_Loudly_.

Tony tried everything he knew in order to get her to calm down.

He rocked her back and forth in his arms.

He bounced her on his knee.

He even sang a lullaby.

None of it worked.

Frustrated beyond belief, Tony pulled at his hair and let out a cry of anguish. "What do you _want_?!"

"Your freaking out isn't helping matters you know", a feminine voice informed him smoothly from somewhere just behind him. "Babies can pick up on your emotions. Your negative energy is probably agitating her."

Startled, for he hadn't heard anyone enter his house, Tony turned around to find himself facing an unfamiliar woman. Her appearance perplexed him until he noticed Happy lingering somewhat awkwardly by the woman's side. Upon realizing Happy was back Tony thrust Wren into the ex-boxers arms with a grimace.

"Help me", he cried pathetically gazing into Happy's eyes in order to fully convey just how miserable and desperate he was.

For a moment Happy panicked along with Tony before his expression smoothed over into something more relaxed. "Actually that's what I brought Virginia for."

It was only then, when Happy brought attention to his companion, that Tony fully took in the woman before him. She had long red hair that was pulled into an immaculate bun and bright green eyes. A number of freckles dotted her pale body and instead of subtracting from her beauty as freckles sometimes did they instead seemed to enhance her beauty. She wore a casual outfit that consisted of a white blouse, black flats, and a knee length floral skirt. The woman herself was nothing spectacular but to Tony who was in desperate need of someone to help him take care of Wren she was a vision of perfection.

"You're hired!" Tony announced cheerfully, his tone as final as it was relieved.

"_What_?" the woman asked looking visibly startled by his seemingly random proclamation.

"You heard me Pepper. Starting now you're Wren's nanny."

"I heard you the first time", Virginia informed him with a perplexed tilt of her head. "What I meant by my previous statement was that I wasn't aware this was an interview . . . And my name's Virginia, _not_ Pepper, Mr. Stark."

"I know. In fact I'm pretty sure that Happy introduced you as such something close to a minute ago."

"Then why did you refer to me as Pepper instead of Virginia?"

Tony shrugged weakly with a '_what can you do?_' look on his face. When Pepper shot him a look that clearly indicated that answer wasn't going to fly with her Tony rolled his eyes. "Virginia is such a tragic name. A pretty girl like you deserves a better name than Virginia."

Pepper blushed at Tony's compliment in obvious embarrassment and Tony relished in her reaction, finding it to be rather cute on her. Sensing Tony's amusement at her reaction Pepper quickly schooled her face into a mask of cool indifference, although a faint red still resided in her cheeks. "You didn't answer my question", Pepper reminded him with a breif uninterested look in his direction.

Impressed with her composure Tony decided to humor her. "Your freckles", he told her. "They remind me of Pepper, especially against your pale skin."

"_Ahem_", Happy coughed with a shifty eyed smile as he looked between the two of them. "I'm so glad the two of you are getting along but if you wouldn't mind, Wren is still crying and I think she might have wet herself . . ."

Indeed she had and since Wren was wearing nothing but one of Tony's old T-Shirts most of the pee had ended up running down Happy's shirt.

Tony laughed at the sight. "Better you than me my friend", he chuckled slapping Happy on the back with a smirk.

Happy glared at him as he held Wren at arm's length from his chest while she continued to wail. "Sometimes I really hate you."

"You mean there are times when you like me? That's more than most can say."

With an exasperated shake of her head Pepper gathered Wren into her arms and directed a fierce glare at Tony and Happy. "I'm going to wash Wren off in the sink. In the meantime I need you two to pick up bottles, formula, diapers, clothes, and anything else you can think that Wren might need. We can plan on getting things like a crib and baby monitors tomorrow." When the two men just stared at Pepper blankly her glare darkened. "_Now!_" she snapped.

Both men jumped at her assertive take on things. Happy wasted no time running out to the car he had parked out front. Tony on the other hand stayed in place.

Pepper blushed when she realized her mistake. "Ahh, I'm sorry Mr. Stark. I forgot that you've only just met me. You can stay with Wren and I'll go pick up some of the things she needs with Happy."

Tony shrugged her apologizes off with an unconcerned wave. "No problem. Happens to the best of us." When he noticed Pepper lingering in the room unsurly he asked, "Did you drive here by yourself or did Happy bring you?"

"Happy brought me", she informed him rather awkwardly, tucking a strand of her red hair behind her ear.

"In that case why don't you head downstairs and choose one of my cars to borrow?"

Pepper blinked at him in surprise. "So you trust me to borrow one of your cars . . . _just like that?_"

Tony shrugged casually. "It's just a car. Besides I could easily afford to replace any of them if you decided to steal one and that's assuming you actually manage to steal from me which is highly unlikely to ever happen. Not to mention I trust Happy's judgment and therefore I trust you to an extent."

"Oh . . . Well thank you Mr. Stark. It will be a pleasure to work for you no doubt."

"Please, call me Tony. You're going to be looking after my daughter after all. I see no reason for such formalities."

Tony would, of course, do a thorough background check on Pepper before he even considered leaving her alone with Wren but she didn't need to know that.

"Alright . . . Tony", she consented somewhat awkwardly. With a small nod of farewell Pepper scurried away with him yelling directions to the garage at her retreating form.

Tony was somewhat relieved to notice that Wren was no longer crying. In fact she was making a rather strange face . . .

"Oh shit!" Tony cursed rather ironically when he realized first hand why Wren was making that face. It seemed she wasn't done going to the bathroom just yet and with her lacking a diaper he had quite the unpleasant mess to clean up.

* * *

Heh. I just couldn't help but writing that last bit ;) I'm thinking having yucky things being dumped on Tony (and possibly Happy) will be a theme in this story.


	5. Spoiled

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

If anyone's wondering Tony hasn't publicly announced that he has a daughter yet. I might have that occur next chapter. I'm not entirely sure yet.

* * *

Chapter 5

Spoiled

* * *

Normally Pepper was a person who had no problem expressing her opinion but she had only been Wren's nanny for three weeks now and she was still unsure of what her standing was here. There was a chance- small as it may be-that she could get reprimanded, or worse,_ fired_ for speaking freely yet she knew that in this case she absolutely_ had_ to say something.

"Tony . . ." Pepper began hesitantly.

"Come on Pepper, no need to be shy. If you want to say something, say it".

At the moment Tony, Pepper, and Wren were sitting in Tony's lavish living room. While Tony was busy fiddling with one of his inventions Pepper watched Wren play with her blocks and cooed at the baby's cuteness.

At Tony's response Pepper bit her lip. She was still hesitant to say what she was thinking but Tony _did _give her permission so-o . . . "You're spoiling Wren", she told him bluntly.

Tony gawked at her. "Spoiled? What do you mean spoiled?! Wren's not spoiled!"

"Tony", Pepper deadpanned. "Have you seen that child's room?"

"Of course I've seen it. I redecorated and baby proofed it myself. You were there. Remember?" he asked waving around a wrench sarcastically.

Pepper sighed in exasperation. "It was a rhetorical question."

"Then why did you ask it?"

Pepper didn't dignify that with a response. "Tony, you must realize that you're spoiling her. Her room is filled to the brim with stuff animals, dolls, and other toys she doesn't need."

"So?"

"She's not even old enough to play with any of that stuff yet!"

Despite Tony's defensive attitude Wren's room really was over the top for a newborns nursery.

Tony (who didn't even want to imagine Wren's room being filled with every shade of pink and frilly things) took the liberty of painting the walls a nice crimson red and hiring someone to install shiny gold carpeting on the floors. Her crib, made with the finest quality wood with intricate carvings etched into its surface, was overly extravagant not to mention the most expensive brand money could buy. The sheets laid out in the crib were soft and fluffy and the mobile hanging above her head was a thing of beauty.

In one corner lay a handmade dollhouse with a grand total of twenty handmade china dolls sitting on a shelf that Wren wouldn't be able to reach until she was old enough to treat them properly. On the floor near the dollhouse were a handful of child safe dolls that Wren wouldn't be able to break no matter how much she chewed on them or threw them around.

An entire wall was even piled high with all sorts of stuffed animals from cats and dogs to platypuses and penguins. Under the stuffed animals sat a large container of child friendly blocks of varying sizes that Wren could use to make a tower or a fortress if she so pleased.

By her crib was a shelf filled with books of varying reading levels. The books on the lower shelves were meant for a young child but as you worked your way higher up the shelf the books gradually grew in difficulty. The top shelves had books that Tony would be interested in reading at his current age while the lower leveled shelves held books that Wren could enjoy at her current age.

Perhaps most interesting of all was the ceiling which was rigged to light up at night with an accurate projection of the stars. Tony even took the liberty of programing it so that each night a new section of space would be projected on the ceiling.

And that was just the beginning.

"Ok, so maybe Wren is a_ little_ spoiled but what's the harm in that?" Tony asked with a defensive frown.

"Tony", Pepper sighed. "You're a smart man. Surely you know what spoiling a child can do to them mentally."

"Of course I do- it's just that . . ."

"What?"

"It's nothing", Tony told her with a guarded expression. Then with a more nonchalant air he said, "I plan on giving Wren everything she could ever want for- _but_", he added when he noticed Pepper start to protest, "I'll also try to teach her humility, ok?"

Pepper snorted. "You? Teaching someone humility? I'm sorry but I don't see that happening."

Tony glared at Pepper's tone. "I take offence to that. I am perfectly capable of teaching my daughter to be humble!"

Pepper just rolled her eyes and decided to drop the subject. The energy it would take to convince him otherwise wouldn't be worth it in the end.

Done conversing with Tony, Pepper's eyes fell back onto Wren which was when she noticed something odd. "Tony?" She asked curiously. "When was the last time Wren went outside?"

Tony's eyebrows shot up at her question. "Since I found her on my porch in the rain. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing", Pepper waved off with a little frown of contemplation. "I was just wondering how she managed to obtain a stick."

Perplexed, Tony turned his attention to Wren who did indeed have a stick in her chubby hands. "Huh. That's weird", he mused. "I bet Happy gave it to her or something. Nothing to worry about."

Pepper shook her head at his attitude and easily removed the stick from Wren's hands. After observing it for a quick moment she ended up setting the stick aside on the coffee table which was well out of Wren's reach. At Tony's probing look Pepper explained herself. "I didn't want her to hurt herself with it. I know you don't seem to think it's dangerous but I just wanted to make sure she was safe."

Tony shrugged indifferently at her explanation and went back to his tech.

Meanwhile from her place on the floor Wren began to fuss as she tried to get the stick back.

* * *

;) I think you guys know what that last bit means, yah? Heh, heh.


	6. Baby Stark

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

Wow, it's been _way _too long since I last updated this story. But don't you worry I've finally got a good idea of where to go with this story which means a more regular update schedule. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

You guys really are great :) I appreciate all the support you've been giving me for this story.

* * *

Chapter 6

Baby Stark

* * *

"Tony, despite what you seem to think, the press is going to find out you have a child eventually", Pepper informed him dryly.

Instead of answering Pepper, Tony held Wren to his chest in the way a toddler would keep their favorite toy out of the reach of another child and glared.

"Seriously Tony?" Pepper sighed, exasperated beyond words at his childish behavior. "What are you, two?"

"She's mine! Why should I have to share her precious self with the rest of the world?" Tony protested, lightly smushing Wren's cheek against his own stubbly one and pulling a pouty face.

"_Tony_", Pepper groaned.

". . . Fine", Tony relented in a bitter grumble that made Wren gurgle out a laugh for some reason or another. "This kid", Tony huffed fondly in laugher. "I swear, she just about kills me sometimes."

* * *

Tony was never one for subtlety.

Therefore instead of calling a press conference in order to announce to the world that he had an adorable baby girl he did something rather unexpected.

"Tony, wait!" Pepper cried indignantly behind him.

"I could, _ooor_, I could _not_," he drawled as he continued to saunter out of his house with Wren (who was dressed up in an adorable pink and white polka dot dress and a pair of black baby booties) sitting on his hip.

"Can't you call someone to inform the public about Wren instead of walking around Malibu with her in your arms?! Imagine what the media will say!" Pepper reasoned.

"Exactly," Tony grinned bouncing Wren up and down in his arms until she was giggling in delight.

Pepper sighed in defeat when she noticed that Tony was dead set on pulling this ridiculous stunt. She could only bite her tongue and trust that Tony knew what he was doing.

Further down the street, grinning widely, Tony leaned in to Wren's ear and whispered, "You're a Stark now Wren and we Stark's do things with _style_."

* * *

It didn't take long before someone noticed Tony Stark walking down the streets of Malibu California with a tiny baby sitting on his hip.

Almost instantly there was a group of people around him shoving cell phones and cameras in his face and barking questions at him.

"Hey Mr. Stark, who's the kid?!"

"Is the kid a boy or a girl?!"

"Is he or she yours?!"

"What's its name?!"

Tony hadn't gotten a chance to answer any of their questions before Wren started to sniffle in distress at all the commotion. Glaring Tony snapped, "Now look what you've done! You've made her cry!" Softly he murmured, "There, there, Wren- everything's alright . . ."

Wren's wide brown eyes (eyes that mirrored Tony's own chocolate brown, the people surrounding them noted) were watery and upset. Gently, Tony wiped the tears away that had begun to form in her eyes before they could fall.

There was a moment of silence as everyone surrounding Tony watched this bizarre scene play out.

Tony Stark- selfish, reckless, playboy Tony Stark . . . lovingly wiping away a baby's tears?

While everyone was in shock at the display Tony was beaming at his now cheered up baby girl.

"Hey Wren," Tony muttered mischievously in her ear. "Smile for the cameras baby!"

And she did.

Because let's face it, what baby could stay upset when faced with Tony Stark in a playful mood?

"That's my girl," he praised, kissing her lovingly on her head.

* * *

Two hours later found Tony, Pepper, and Happy sitting around the large flat screen TV in his living room with various emotions playing out on their features.

Whereas Tony had a smile of delight on his face as people on the news cooed about pictures taken of him and Wren together Pepper looked entirely exasperated over Tony's stunt while Happy seemed rather nervous about the backlash that was sure to come.

"I suppose that could have gone worse . . ." Pepper observed.

Tony smirked at her. "You worry too much Potts."

"If you ask me you're not worried enough!" Happy interrupted pointing to the TV. "Doesn't that upset you?"

Curious as to what Happy was referring to Tony turned his attention to the talk show that was on.

A female reporter was talking to a panel of four people: an older gentleman, two young women, and a man in his early forties.

The older gentleman was in the middle of saying something about Tony being "a reckless, irresponsible, mess and in no way capable of raising a child!" when one of the young women interrupted him.

"I don't know," she said biting her cherry red lip coyly. "I think it's kind of sexy- him having a kid and all."

"Oh please," the other woman scoffed rolling her eyes at the other woman. "We're here to discuss who we think the mother is not whether we would have sex with Tony Stark or not."

"Are you saying you wouldn't?" the cherry lipped woman shot back devilishly.

The other woman blushed brightly but before she could retort Pepper turned the TV off.

"Ok, enough of that!" Pepper declared.

Tony just laughed. "People are so predictable."

"Sir", Jarvis interrupted coolly. "Mr. Stane is at the door and requesting to be let in immediately."

Tony winced. "Oops, I forgot about Obi. How could I forget about Obi? . . . He's probably not taking the news very well . . ."

Happy paled at the mention of Obadiah . "You never told him you had a kid?_ Seriously_?!"

"Jarvis, tell him that I'm not home!" Tony exclaimed, bringing Wren closer to his chest protectively.

Wren, who could sense his panic, began to wriggle in his arms and make tiny noises of distress.

"Sir, Mr. Stane informed me to tell you that he knows you're here."

"Damn it," Tony cursed quietly. "Fine, let him in."

Tony leaned back against the couch in defeat while Pepper and Happy stood up to leave.

"See you later Tony," Happy said awkwardly before he nervously bolted out the back door without looking back.

Pepper nodded on her way out saying a quick "See you in the morning Mr. Stark" before following Happy's lead and running for the hills.

"Damn cowards, leaving me to face Obi on my own. Some friends they are . . ." Tony cursed quietly under his breath.

"What was that son?" Obadiah asked curiously as he walked into the room, looking as posh as ever in his designer suit.

"Oh nothing," Tony said quickly, standing to his feet with Wren held up in clear display. Forcing a cheerfulness he didn't feel he strode over to the man he considered to be his true father and presented his daughter to him with a wide smile. "Obi, this is my beautiful little girl Wren Angel Stark!"

To Tony's immense surprise a pleasant smile crossed Obi's face and he took one of her chubby little hands into his own and shook it up and down in greeting. "She's a cute little thing, isn't she?" he noted lightly.

Tony's breath caught in his throat as he watched Obi interact with his daughter, at a loss of what to say. "Y-yes, I suppose."

"You suppose?" Obi repeated with a raised eyebrow and a slightly mocking tone.

"Yes, I mean, she's adorable. Cutest baby that ever lived, if you ask me," he responded more confidently.

"Mmmh," Obi hummed in agreement. "Come, sit!" Obi ordered a moment later, sitting down on the plush couch and patting the spot next to him invitingly.

Tony sat down reluctantly. "You're not mad?" he asked incredulously.

Obi just sighed tiredly. "Mad? No. Disappointed . . .? Yes. Surprised? Not in the slightest."

Tony at least had the decency to blush. "What am I going to do Obi? I've got so much on my plate right now, the last thing I need is a baby to take care of even if I already love her to bits."

Obi leveled Tony with a level stare. "Isn't it obvious son? You're a father now. And I suppose that leaves you with two choices. You can either focus all of your effort on your work and let her grow up on her own like Howard did with you . . . or you can be the best father you can possibly be and give her the love and attention that you always craved as a child."

Tony's eyes shinned with unshed tears at the mention of his father and the terrible job he did raising him. He was surprised that Obi was being so calm about all of this. He had half expected him to go on a long angry rant about how he would have to give Wren back to her mother or something of the sort . . . but this. Obi truly was a better father than Howard could ever be. He was supporting him. He was encouraging him and letting him know everything was going to be alright. "Thank you for being so supportive Obi."

"Think nothing of it Tony," he smiled kindly. "Besides, I have to admit I'm more than a little excited to be a grandfather."

At that Tony grinned wider than he had in a long time. "Grandpa Obi . . . That has a nice ring to it," Tony joked.

Obi gestured to Wren, "May I . . .?"

"Of course!"

Obi smiled gently as he held Wren within his arms. "What a little cutie!" he praised when she giggled softly and patted at his whiskery cheeks with her chubby hands.

"Yah," Tony mused. "She really is, isn't she?"

* * *

Ahh, you know Obi was just so nice . . . until he wasn't. It was very unfortunate that he had to go and hurt Tony like that by attempting to kill him. Tony had already experienced so much loss at that point that the betrayal from Obadiah must have been truly devastating. It's no wonder that he has such intense trust issues.


	7. Awareness

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

So. Pairings. I don't know what they will be yet. I'm open to anything really. What do you guys think? I'll put up a poll on my profile with some options so you can give me an idea of who you want Wren to be with. Also, I can have Wren meet the most popular characters sooner rather than later (except people like Steve who aren't capable of meet her at the moment, obviously).

* * *

Chapter 7

Awareness

* * *

Wren was growing up.

Not only could she crawl but she could also walk but for some reason she preferred to crawl everywhere. Judging by the way she laughed hysterically whenever she crawled she simply found crawling to be more amusing than walking at this point.

And, ok, so, she could only crawl backwards but it was still crawling!

. . . Just not in the right direction.

The funniest part of this whole thing was that Wren seemed to _enjoy_ crawling backwards.

Whenever she did she started laughing with the biggest smile on her face.

Currently Tony was busy recording her with a handheld camera while Happy, Pepper, and Obi stood just behind him.

"Aren't you going to try and correct her?" Happy asked Tony curiously.

"Correct her how?" Tony asked idly as he zoomed the camera in on Wren's chubby, chubby hands which were clutching a colorful rattle.

"You know," Happy elaborated lamely. "Aren't you going to try and help her learn how to crawl forwards?"

"Why would I do that?" Tony asked with a roll of his eyes.

". . . So that she can crawl forwards?" Happy answered/asked with a perplexed tilt of his head.

Tony grinned. "Wren's perfectly fine just the way she is. In fact she's better than fine. My baby girl found her own way to crawl and it works perfectly so I don't really see what the problem is."

Obi laughed at the look on Happy's face. "If I were you son, I would let it go," he advised. "Starks have a habit of doing things their own way. Trust me when I say no amount of reasoning will make them do otherwise because, as I'm sure you know, Starks also have a stubborn streak a mile long."

"Oh I do know," Happy groaned. "I know that _very, very_ well actually."

Tony looked up from the camera with a frown. "I feel like I should be offended by that. Pepper- should I be offended by that?"

Pepper smiled at Tony in amusement. "I'm sorry, but I thought that you said you don't care about what other people think of you?"

"I don't," Tony smiled, "Unless I do. Oh and by the way," he added with a smirk. "Apology _not_ accepted."

Pepper fake gasped at that. "Why Mr. Stark, how incredibly rude of you!"

"Get used to it Pepper 'cause you're going to be seeing a whole lot of me over the next few years," he informed her with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Happy rolled his eyes. "Oh get a room you two."

"Shh!" Tony shushed, a look of intense focus springing to his face. "Wren's babbling again!"

* * *

By the time Wren was three it was obvious that she was going to be just as smart as her father.

At this point in time she could already speak in full, articulate sentences despite her young age not to mention she could already read and write with apparent ease.

What truly baffled Tony was that sometimes, when she was particularly frustrated, Wren would speak in a British accent.

Being as smart minded and _logical_ as he was Tony quickly came to the conclusion that she was mimicking one of the British reporters she occasionally saw speaking on the news.

Of course Wren herself knew better.

Because of the vastly intelligent brain she had inherited from her father (her new father that is) Wren was already beginning to remember things from her past life.

It started off with names.

Hermione, Ron, Neville, Remus, Sirius, Dobby . . .

Then she began to remember places.

The Burrow, Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, 12 Grimmauld Place . . .

The first memories she had were good ones.

Christmas with friends, a day spent with Remus, cuddling with Sirius in dog form, having a clumsy dance with Neville during the Yule Ball, spending a rainy day with Hermione and Ron in the Gryffindor common room . . .

Later, however, the bad memories started to spring up.

An encounter with a horde of Dementors, Voldemort being revived, her home at 4 Privet Drive, the death of her parents, the death of Sirius, _fights, battles, war, more death_.

It was . . . at lot to take in.

Tony was worried about her.

She often woke up in the middle of night screaming and crying in a way that someone her age shouldn't.

Tony, because he truly was a good father, had taken to letting her sleep next to him in his bed at night.

Wren knew this was a big sacrifice on his part because it meant he couldn't bring any of his lady friends home anymore. Of course Wren was sure he still had lady friends- he just didn't bring them home very often anymore.

"Wren?" Pepper inquired with no small amount of exasperation coloring her voice.

"Yes?" Wren replied innocently because she _knew_ why Pepper was exasperated and Pepper knew that she knew too. That was part of the reason why Pepper was so exasperated in the first place.

"Where in the world do you keep getting that stick?!"

"It follows me," Wren told her seriously. "It's my wand. The Elder Wand to be specific. I have another one too, although I'm not sure where that one is."

"A wand," Pepper repeated dubiously. "You mean like a magic wand?"

"Exactly like that actually," Wren laughed. There was just something so incredibly fun about teasing clueless adults. Wren loved the bewildered looks people would get on their faces when she said or did something that no one was expecting.

Pepper seemed amused now. "You believe in magic? Are you sure you're Tony's daughter?"

"Yes."

Pepper laughed, "How would you like me to make you a grilled cheese?"

Wren smiled so wide that her cheeks hurt. "Ooh, yes please!"

"Great, one grilled cheese coming right up then," Pepper announced enthusiastically.

Wren always became so happy when someone made food for her.

There was just something so inexplicitly satisfying about having someone else cook for you. Perhaps that stemmed from her early childhood with the Dursleys in which she was forced to cook their every meal . . . or perhaps it was because Pepper was the one who was cooking for her.

Either way it was just . . . nice.

So nice.

There was something different about this new family of hers, she knew, something that was vaguely reminiscent of one of her many trips to the Burrow only _more_.

Tony, Pepper, Happy, Obi- they were her family now.

Of course she didn't forget her old family.

At times she felt terrible for having left them. It was irresponsible and selfish of her to do so but after everything she had been through didn't she deserve to be a little selfish? Didn't she deserve to have the freedom to make an irresponsible choice for once?

Wren thought so.

And now she could be as irresponsible and careless as she felt like because she was a child again- a child who could play with toys, watch television, read pop up books, and get piggy back rides if she so desired.

She hadn't gotten a true childhood the first time around or parents and unlike many of her friends she hadn't fallen in love with anyone.

But now, in this new world, she had a chance to have all of those things and she wasn't about to let any of them slip through her fingers a second time.

* * *

So. Yep. It's the Elder Wand. Pssh. Of course she has the Elder Wand!

Ooh, I'm getting excited for the next chapter.

XD It's going to be . . . fun.


	8. Accidental Bursts of Magic

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

Holy shit. I'm back.

D:

Sorry I took so long! I've had so much work, and tests, and studying, and more tests lately that my mind has just turned to absolute mush. Here's what my schedules been like lately: wake up for school, go to school, come home and take a nap, wake up and watch Parks and Recreation in a dazed stupor, try to read only to end up rereading the same lines over and over again, then do my homework, and finally go to bed around midnight. I've been doing that for months. MONTHS. It's a miracle I managed to keep writing at all during this school year. Luckily I've managed to drag myself from this slump and hopefully I should be back for good this time. I mean, I have found my muse so that is definitely a good sign.

I'm very pleased with this chapter. I think I'm finally starting to find a good direction for this story to take. I'm still not sure about the pairing but I'm sure that will come with time. Thanks for all you love and support guys! It means a lot to me :)

* * *

Chapter 8

Accidental Bursts of Magic

* * *

Wren soon found that one of the worst and most terrifying things about being a child again were the unexpected bursts of magic she experienced. The incidents, as she'd taken to calling them, came at the most unexpected of times. It was a struggle to keep any of her caretakers from noticing her slip ups.

Wren didn't know what would happen if someone noticed but she had a feeling that it wouldn't be good. Her father, ever the logical one, would undoubtedly have a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that his daughter was a witch. Wren didn't know exactly how he of all people would react if he found out. Would he be scared? Would he deny it? Would he be _angry_?

Wren didn't know and she most certainly did not intend to find out.

In fact, if she could help it, Wren would never let anyone know.

She didn't know much about this world but what she did know was not good. She remembered the brief glimpses she'd gotten of the cartoons Dudley watched and the conversations she overheard Muggle-borns having about the Marvel Universe.

There were superheroes in this Dimension, some human and some _mutant_. Now, seeing as she was a witch herself she didn't have any problems with mutants. Other people though- oh, other people had _definite_ problems with mutants.

. . . And there in lay the root of her fears.

Wren knew that if anyone found out about her magic they would automatically assume she was a mutant and then she would have to deal with all the bad people who didn't like mutants. Wren couldn't quite remember who those people were but she did remember that they were powerful due to their large numbers.

It was for this reason that Harry decided the world would just have to know her as nothing more than Wren Stark, completely normal _human_ daughter of Tony Stark.

At least, that was the plan. But of course things can never be that simple can they?

Perhaps for normal people they were but not for Harry Potter.

Therefore it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to Wren when she found herself accidentally transported to some unknown location due to a particularly powerful burst of accidental magic.

* * *

_Splash!_

Bubbles streamed from Wren's mouth as she thrashed and flailed her limbs around her frantically.

Despite her extreme disorientation Wren was immediately able to recognize the stinging sensation in her eyes for what it was: Chlorine.

Evidently, she was in someone's pool.

Somehow managing to find her bearings (which was quite the task for her small uncoordinated body to achieve) Wren kicked her legs until her head managed to breach the water. Immediately she began to suck in deep lung fulls of crisp air.

The first thing she noticed was that wherever she was it was night time. Above her a myriad of stars twinkled and the full moon partially illuminated her surroundings.

From what she could tell she had landed at some fancy college campus.

Shivering furiously due to the freezing water surrounding her small body, Wren quickly splashed her way to the side of the pool. When she emerged from the water she strongly resembled the figure of a drenched cat what with her long hair and baggy clothes glued to her body the way they were.

Desperate to alleviate the terrible chill Wren attempted to cast a spell that would make her dry. The spell partially worked: her clothes were now damp rather than sopping wet and her hair was a fraction less heavy than it had been previously but she was still wet and cold despite her efforts.

That was another downside to being a child. Her magical core was developing all over again which meant she had significantly less access to her magic at this stage in her development.

"W-what do I do now?" she asked herself despairingly through chattering teeth.

Well. Considering she might not even be in the United States anymore she was probably well and truly screwed.

How in the world was she supposed to explain this to her father?

Did she tell him someone kidnapped her and that she'd somehow managed to get away from her captors?

No, no, that was a terrible idea. If that happened he would never take his eye off her again. But then what did she tell him to explain her sudden absence?

"Hey!"

The voice, unexpected as it was, caused Wren to jump a good two inches off the ground.

Twirling around to face the man who had startled her so, Wren was met with a vaguely familiar sight.

It was a man (or rather a young man, as he couldn't have been much older than Wren had been when she died) with brown hair and a pair of red tinted sunglasses covering his eyes, despite the fact that it was the dead of night.

Immediately assuming the worst, Wren spun on her heals to run away from the stranger when he called out to her again. "Whoa kid, I didn't mean to scare you!" he soothed gently, his face softening into something very reassuring. At the gesture Wren froze. Taking note of this the man cautiously approached her with a kind smile. "My name is Scott Summers. I'm a new teacher here at the school. I don't remember seeing you around before . . ." he trailed off uncertainly. "Are you new here too?"

Wren blushed when he crouched down in front of her, his head now at her short level. "No, I'm not from around here," Wren managed to get out awkwardly. Judging by the tiny smile Scott shot her she was being rather adorable again. She tended to be, if what adults told her tended to be true. "My name is Wren," she told him, almost instantly trusting him for some reason. "_I want to go home!_" she suddenly wailed, collapsing to the ground in a sobbing mess of snot and tears.

The smile vanished from Scott's face and for a second he froze in pure terror. Clearly he was unused to handling crying children. "Ah-ah-er!?" he exclaimed uncertainly before unexpectedly pulling Wren into his arms and started bouncing her up and down as one would with a baby (because that's what you do to calm little kids down right?!). Of course this only caused Wren to wail harder.

She couldn't help it, despite how embarrassed she was sure she would be later. After all it wasn't just her body that belonged to a child, her mind did too.

"Oh no!" Scott exclaimed frantically. "Oh no! Nonononono! _Profess-ooooooor_!" he finally yelled, his voice cracking at the end of the word.

Snot and warm tears dribbled from Wren's face as she continued to cry. She just wanted to go home, where it was warm and dry and her family was. Was that too much to ask? Wren certainly didn't think so!

As she thought this Wren found herself carefully removed from Scott's arms only to find herself wrapped in a thick fuzzy towel in the arms of another.

Wren opened her chocolate brown eyes to find one of the most gorgeous women she had ever seen in either of her lives cooing down at her softly. The woman had short snow white hair and a lovely dark shade of skin. The combination of the two features was as striking as they were beautiful. And her eyes-!

Mesmerized by the site, Wren immediately stopped crying.

"Oh, thank God," Scott mumbled to himself, placing a hand over his heart and looking for all the world like he was about to keel over dead.

"That's right," the woman called sweetly to Wren. "Hush now little one." This woman seemed to actually have experience with children for when she rocked Wren back and forth the gesture soothed her rather than panicked her as Scott had done when he had attempted to do the same thing earlier. "Now tell me," she went on calmly. "What is your full name and how did you get here?"

Wren sniffled pathetically, wiping her nose against the fuzzy towel that surrounded her. Feeling significantly calmed Wren managed to compose herself enough to answer her question. "My n-*_hiccup_*-ame is Wren Stark . . . I don' know how I got here. . . I was reading when suddenly I was in the pool and then the nice man found me . . ."

"I see," the young woman replied, her eyes wide with surprise. "Don't worry sweetheart, I'm going to take you to one of the spare rooms where you can change into a pair of warm clothes and go to sleep. Then we'll call your parents for you so they can come pick you up."

Wren's eyes flashed with panic at the thought. "Nooo!" she wailed, suddenly crying all over again. "You can't! Daddy will be mad when he finds out!"

This seemed to significantly upset the two adults. They had a hunch that this little girl was a mutant (after all how else could she have landed in their pool in the middle of the night?) and the two young adults were all too familiar with how parents tended to take the news that their child was a mutant. They both desperately hoped that the girl's reaction to their offer to call her parents didn't mean that her father had tried to harm her after finding out about her powers. "It's alright," Scott said softly. "The Professor will make sure you're safe. Trust me."

Wren stared at Scott's red tinted sunglasses with a tiny frown of contemplation.

. . . Trust him?

Well. It's not like she had any other option.

With this in mind Wren nodded her head in agreement and allowed the two adults take her into the warm house. Along the way to their destination Wren was met by the inquiring eyes of children of all ages as they peered out of cracked doors with speculative glances and hushed whispers.

It took a moment for Wren to realize where she was.

'_Bloody hell_' she mentally swore. '_I'm at that Xavier man's house aren't I? The place that takes in mutants . . ._'

The thought alone was overwhelming enough to send her into unconsciousness.

So much for keeping her head down, eh?

* * *

Yah, so this was just a random idea that popped into my head. I dunno, I personally like it. Oh, and if anyone is wondering, since this story is currently set a little less than twenty years before the events of Ironman Scott, Jean, and Ororo are still young and Wolverine has yet to become a teacher at the X Mansion. Important stuff, that.

The events of the next chapter are still a mystery to even me, so I guess we'll all see what happens next soon enough, yah?

(Hopefully the powers of wishful thinking shall make it so!)


	9. Mistaken For a Mutant

Summary: Fem!Harry- "We're in Kings Cross you say. I think if you so desired you'd be able to board a train." "And where would it take me?" "To a new world." Dumbledore paused, almost hesitant. "A world where you would have a new name, a new face . . . and a new family." A year later Tony finds a baby with a lightning bolt scar on his doorstep. . . [Daddy!Tony, Mommy!Pepper, &amp; Child!Harry]

Wow. I actually _wrote_ something. That's pretty impressive considering the massive writing slump I've been in ever since December. Ahh, it feels good to be posting a chapter again ^,^

* * *

Chapter 9

Mistaken For a Mutant

* * *

Tony's heart beat like a drum and his breath came in quick shallow pants.

Wren was gone.

His _child_ was _missing_.

Oh, he was far past the point of panic and he had only been looking for her for a little over ten minutes now.

"Pepper!" he hollered, harshly running his hands through his thick brown hair.

Pepper, who was equally worried, quickly ran into the room with Happy trailing behind her looking completely lost. "What is it? Have you found her?!" she asked with a hint of desperation coloring her tone.

"No," Tony sighed, seeming incredibly frustrated. "I just wanted to know if you found any clues. Maybe- maybe she found a way down the cliff so she could explore the beach," he suggested hopefully but as soon as he said it he knew that it wasn't true.

Wren was smarter than that. She never would have done something so thoughtless.

"What are we going to do. . .?"

It was then, as the question was asked, that Tony's phone rang.

There was a moment of silence as the three of them looked at the phone in surprise. After the fourth ring Tony seemed to have snapped out of it and picked the phone up so quickly that he nearly lost his balance. "Hello?!"

"Good evening Mr. Stark," a kind voice greeted him smoothly.

Tony stilled at the sound of the voice.

For some unexplainable reason he suddenly felt as though everything was going to be alright . . .

* * *

When Wren woke up the next morning she looked around the room she occupied with a guarded expression.

She didn't like it here.

Now, there wasn't anything wrong with this place- quite the opposite in fact. Everyone here seemed to be very welcoming and genuinely kind.

It was just that . . . Wren wanted to go home. She wanted to be with her _family_. In her four years as a Stark she had grown accustomed to being hidden away in Tony's house. Come to think of it the only people she had actually socialized with during her time here were Pepper, Happy, her father, and her Grandpa Obi.

She never went to any daycare and Tony had never mentioned anything about preschool or kindergarten. As far as she knew Tony intended to teach her himself- not to say that was something Wren was opposed to. In fact she rather liked the sound of that.

What was rather upsetting now that she thought about it was the fact that she wouldn't have the opportunity to have a normal childhood. As a Stark she was just about as famous as she was as a Potter (although no one worshiped her like a hero now, which was a plus she supposed). It was all rather ironic she supposed, for her to be reborn as someone with money and fame just like she had been in her old life.

Wren suddenly felt a swell of determination well up deep within her chest. If she was going to be a child again then this time she was going to do things right. She was going to enjoy her loving family, eat all the delicious food that she could get her tiny hands on, and play with other children her (physical) age.

With this in mind Wren slipped out from beneath the covers of her temporary bed and straightened the baggy t-shirt and vibrant blue swim trunks she used as pajamas, ready to take on the world. Hair as messy as could be, Wren marched confidently to the door and threw it wide open, egger to greet the fascinating children who took up residence at this school.

Of course, Wren hadn't known how popular she already was amongst the resident children. Therefore she was completely gob smacked when she found herself almost immediately ambushed by a group of children who were all quite determined to get to know her.

And none of them even knew she was a Stark! They were curious about _her_ and _her_ alone.

Oh how wonderful it felt to be liked without a reputation preceding her!

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

"Wren!" she exclaimed happily, practically vibrating in her excitement.

"How old are you?"

"I'm four years old!"

"What's your mutation?"

Oh.

Wren's face fell when she realized why the children were so interested in her.

They thought she was a Mutant.

Eer, well, now that she thought about it that made a lot of sense.

After all, this was a school for Mutants. Why else would she be here if not for the fact that she was a Mutant?

Luckily Wren was young. She could get away with looking at her feet, biting her lip, and coyly saying she didn't want to discuss it and the kids would automatically back off.

"Hey, hey, that's okay Wren, no need to feel pressured," one of the older kids told her, smiling reassuringly. "You can tell us when you're ready."

Wren smiled softly at him in return. "Thanks," she said, truly meaning it.

"No problem," he shrugged it off casually. "Now how would you like to play a game of tag with us?"

Wren jumped up and down with a huge grin. "Boy would I!"

The other children laughed at her enthusiasm. "Well let's get going then!"

* * *

"No fair!" Wren pouted.

"Is too," the kid from before (his name was William as it turned out) shot back, sticking his tongue out at her with a smirk.

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

". . . Am I interrupting something?" Scott asked, sounding exasperatedly amused by their childish bickering.

Wren jumped, severely startled by his presence. "Nope!" she answered immediately with a reassuring smile.

Yah, there was no way she was admitting that she'd been arguing with William about whether or not using his powers in a game of tag was fair or not (which it _soo_ wasn't).

"Well," he coughed, "in that case the Professor would like to have a word with you Wren."

Wren tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What for?"

"The Professor would like to talk to you about your Mutation- if that is alright with you of course."

Wren's easygoing attitude quickly shifted to something much more suspicious. She knew enough from her life as Harry Potter what that meant.

Whether she liked it or not she was going to be having this discussion with Professor Xavier. Of course, she understood that this conversation was more for her protection than anything else. No one knew that her 'Mutation' was actually just her magical core acting up so they were understandably worried for her sake.

Knowing this was the only thing that kept Wren from digging her heals in and refusing to see the man.

However, despite knowing this conversation was for her own benefit Wren couldn't help but be afraid.

What was she supposed to tell the man?

Certainly not the truth.

Wren knew that it would be bad if people knew what she was . . . because she was more than just a Witch . . . Wren was also the Master of Death . . .

Powerful, she was. Invulnerable, she was not. Then there was the added factor that she was a child and it would be all too easy for someone powerful to kidnap her and (possibly) subdue her at this stage in her development.

In her old world she doubted anyone would have been able to accomplish such a feat, but in this world where overpowered men and women could be found by the handfuls she would have to watch herself.

* * *

Wren gulped.

Really, she was being ridiculous.

Charles Xavier had the warmest eyes and the softest smile she had ever seen. This man was a good man and all he wanted to do in this situation was help her out. He didn't even know Wren but already he _cared_ for her.

Wren's heart clenched when she came to an earth shattering conclusion: this man already considered her to be a part of his family. She could see it in his eyes now that she knew to look for it. Professor Xavier probably considered every mutant who stepped foot on his doorstep to be one of his own.

That was such a beautiful sentiment to someone who hadn't been loved by the flesh and blood who had found her on their own doorstep the first time around.

Perhaps it was foolish of her but Wren suddenly had the strange urge to be honest with not only the Professor but also her new family. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

(_Death. Your death. Your families death. The death of anyone who you've ever talked to. Destruction. Chaos!-_)

Wren shuddered.

. . . Perhaps she would leave some of the finer details out of her explanation like her reincarnation and her title of Master of Death . . . '_That would be a good idea'_ she thought to herself with a slight wince. . .

"Are you alright Wren?" Professor Xavier inquired politely, concern causing his features to scrunch up and his eyes to become saddened.

"Yah," she breathed weakly, looking down at her feet with a nervous twitch. This was hard to admit . . . "I- I need to tell you something!" she blurted suddenly. "Dad and Pepper- uncle Happy and grandpa Obi too!"

Professor Xavier's face became soft and encouraging at her words. "Of course Wren. You can tell us whatever you feel comfortable saying."

Wren smiled briefly. Closing her eyes she admitted, "I'm a witch."

The Professor seemed rather perplexed by this new development. "Not to say that I don't believe you Wren . . . but what makes you say that?"

That was a question that Wren was not comfortable answering. ". . . I just know."

"Can you prove it?"

"Yes." Gingerly, Wren removed the Elder wand from the pocket of the boys swim trunks she borrowed from the room she stayed in the night before. "This is my wand," she told him seriously. "I use it to channel my power."

Instead of mocking Wren or telling her she was being silly Professor Xavier smiled at Wren with a hint of intrigue shinning in his eyes. "Can you show me an example of your magic? A spell perhaps?"

Wren smiled brightly at him, suddenly feeling much happier. It was nice, to be able to do magic again. "Of course!" Focusing her magic Wren uttered, "_Colovaria_", subsequently changing the Professor's black suit into a dark shade of purple. Smiling mischievously Wren asked, "Is that proof enough?"

The Professor beamed, running his fingers down his newly colored suit and Wren swore there was amazement shinning in his eyes. "Yes, I suppose that will do!" he laughed.

In truth, Wren no longer needed to say any of the spells out loud in order to cast them. Her magic was different in this new world. Whereas in the old world it was practically impossible to cast a spell without a wand for most witches and wizards, here Wren could perform the feat with relative ease. Her magic had changed in such a way that she now only had to picture what she wanted her magic to do and it would do it.

Additionally, Wren no longer needed to use a wand to focus her magic. Despite this Wren had decided to continue using the Elder Wand, partially because it was a symbol of her title and power and partially because the Elder Wand enhanced her already powerful magic.

However the main reason she decided to continue using the Elder Wand and verbalize spells was to put on a show for people. What could she say? Wren was the daughter of Tony Stark, and just like Tony she was a showman. Like father like daughter, eh?

Another reason Wren decided to continue verbalizing spells and use a wand was so that people assumed she could only use magic if she had both a wand and the ability to speak. By pretending this was true people would underestimate Wren and her power something that would undoubtedly come to work in her favor.

"Wren, just to be safe, do you think Doctor McCoy could get a sample of your blood to check and see if you have the X-Gene?"

Wren frowned, "The what-Gene?"

"The X-Gene, commonly referred to as the Mutant-Gene is what lets everyone known who is a Mutant and who is a human."

"Oh," Wren murmured in understanding. "I don't know . . ." she murmured uncertainly. "I should probably ask my dad for permission first . . . "

"Not to worry Wren, I already talked your father about the matter and he agreed that you should be tested for the X-Gene."

With this in mind Wren shrugged. "Dad knows? I suppose that's fine then." After all it's not like she was actually a mutant.

She was a witch, nothing more and nothing less.

"Brilliant! Scott will take you there now."

* * *

Initially I was going to make this chapter longer but I decided to end it here so that I could get it out to you guys sooner. I hope you like it :) Oh and if any of you are wondering William is an OC. I say this because out of all the many students at Xavier's it's possible there's a William there and I don't want anyone to think he was meant to be an actual character. Heh, I have the unfortunate tendency to unknowingly use real characters first or last names on OC's sometimes. It's a mindless and embarrassing error that I make every so often . . .


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